‘Top Photography Films’ Interview

Top Photography Films. Mark Esper Interview.My interview with Kai Behrmann from the photography web site Top Photography Films has just come out and I’m really happy with the way it went. Sometimes it can be really tricky for me to articulate where I am at with my photography and where I am planning to go, but this one was a real joy to do. A huge thanks to Kai for some really inspiring and thought provoking questions.

Here’s an excerpt:

What does photography mean to you? And what do you want to transmit with your pictures? And in other words: What is it at all that a photograph can say?

Photography traps time and presents its truth in a format that really makes you consider the moments both before and after the photograph was taken. It’s a visceral reality. I’m not talking about blood and guts. I’m talking about a tactile quality where the photograph actually reaches out and touches you and holds you. For me a painting has a looser grip on time. The impression that a scene or a subject has on an artist is built up over a longer period of time. It comes across as a more reflective and considered impression of events. Photography traps time and presents its truth in a format that really makes you consider the moments both before and after the photograph was taken.

In 2013 you received a Honorarium Award at the “Art of Photography Awards”. What do you think is important to stand out with one’s work? And how did you achieve it. Especially keeping in mind the over abundance of photographic imagery in today’s society.

In a word, it has to be authenticity. The clear sense that what I am looking at is real. That this is a document of time: a photograph. Now, if that document employs light, mood and expression to create a connection where it asks a question or delivers a message – then that’s even better. You can’t connect with an image if there’s nothing to hold your gaze. The more I go on, the harsher I find myself being with my previous work but saying that, when that work is recognised as in competitions like The Art of Photography Prize, it’s deeply touching.

If you would like to read  the full interview and some other questions about my work you can see them on the Top Photography Films web site and their Facebook page.

Mark
December 2013